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Dolphin

Thanks for the advice. I was really wondering how the film makers are going to deal with von Richthofen's death, and if his end would be correctly attributed to the Australian machine-gunner who almost certainly shot him down.

If the makers are going to the trouble of getting the nationalities correct, the film sounds very promising indeed.

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yellow

The debate of who shot down the Baron has gone on for years no one knows who did it despite the books and the TV documentaries. All they proved was that Brown didnt shoot him down.

The fact of the matter is he was flying low over trenches and there were may men all around shooting at him all using .303 It probably was Popin but theres an equal chance it could of been a man standing next to him with one bullet from an SMLE.

This will present a problem for the film makers as anyone whos not read the history around these events will assume the film makers got it right. In theory the film makers could write re-write history. Please let it not be another Brave Heart or Titanic.

My research has concentrated around the recovery of the Barons body by the AFC which is a story in itself.........you know they actually gave an MM for that.........I will be watching

Nikolai Muellerschoen is directing the pic from his own screenplay, which follows von Richthofen's brief wartime career as he single-handedly decimated Allied air power by shooting down 80 enemy aircraft

- more than any other pilot in the war.

Roland Pellegrino and Michel Morales' Miromar Entertainment and Munich-based Orange Pictures are producing the effects-heavy pic, budgeted at between $25 million and $30 million.

German thesp Matthias Scwheighoefer is in talks to portray the famed pilot, whose good looks, daring aerial acrobatics and untimely death transformed him into a kind of Teutonic James Dean in World War I-era Germany.

In addition to detailing his rise as a pilot and iconic hero in Germany's war effort, pic will recount the young von Richthofen's blossoming relationship with an idealistic young nurse during the war.

Principal photography is set to start in February in Ludwigsburg.

and some more:

'Red Baron' to fly again

29 September 2004

MUNICH - "The Red Baron" will fly again in a new film version of the life and times of German flying "ace of aces" Manfred von Richthofen, credited with shooting down 80 enemy planes in World War One.

Filming for the movie, which will star young German actor Matthias Schweighoefer in the title role is set to get underway early next year in the Stuttgart area, according to Munich-based production company Orange Pictures.

Orange has teamed up with Miramax Entertainment to bring von Richthofen to the big screen in a production which will also star Klaus Maria Brandauer and Laetitia Casta as the romantic interest.

Estimated to cost EUR 25 million, the high-budget project is to be shot on location in

Ludwigsburg, Germany with the town's Ludwigsburg Castle, quaint marketplace and its Baroque Crown Prince Palace making it ideal for the historical picture set in the war years from 1914 to 1918.

According to the magazine Filmecho:Filmwoche, "The Red Baron" has been in the cards for five years, with research for the screenplay carried out and prepared in Los Angeles.

Niki Muellerschoen, who is director and also wrote the screenplay, based the script on historical facts, focussing on the horrors of the war rather than emphasizing von Richthofen's derring- do.

Likewise, the movie will stress that the non-political aristocrat von Richthofen was actually exploited by the German media for propaganda purposes, which contributed to making him an international legend.

Originally to have been filmed in the US, Roland Pelegrino, who co-produced the film, said the film could be made much cheaper in Germany.

According to Muellerschoen's research, Richthofen shot down 75 enemy planes instead of the 80 usually cited. However, the first two planes he shot down, both French Nieuports, crashed behind enemy lines and could not be officially credited to Richthofen, though later on his kills were taken at his word.

Born in Breslau, Germany, on 2 May 1892, the son of a Prussian aristocrat, Major Albrecht von Richthofen, he began his military career as a cavalry officer. But after the war broke out, eager to become a pilot, he joined the Fliegertruppe (air service) as an observer in 1915.

After completing a training course, he was was assigned to an air combat unit, flying an Albatros D.II biplane. Most of his time in the air was with the double-winged craft or its successor, the Albatros D.III.

But it was his Dr. I triplane with which he is usually identified, since he had it painted blood-red from cowl to tail, so as to forestall any "friendly fire" from German gunners on the ground.

After Richthofen scored his 16th victory in the air, making him the top living German ace, he received the coveted "Blue Max" order (Orden Pour le Merit).

In April, 1917, Richthofen shot down four enemy planes in one day, his personal best.

Later in 1917, after shooting down his 41st plane, the German high command grounded him. But he was soon allowed to return to the front after making propaganda tours and being received by Kaiser Wilhelm.

He was shot down and killed at the age of 25 in the skies over Vaux sur Somme, France, 21 April 1918.

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AndyHollinger

Yes, hope it is not another Braveheart ... a movie that changed history in several ways ... ie not just the bunk in the movie, but he political geography of the UK!

But, movies do write history much more than we and our sources do ... there are a generation of men who learned their history from MGM as now my older students know it via Mel-movies.

Face it ... Pop culture wins ... most people between 35 and 65 believe ther red baron shot down beagles on dog houses! Alas, no more, the current generation not only doesn't know Charlie/Snoopy .... but have myths and images I don't know and if I did, couldn't fathom.

Yes, hope it is not another Braveheart ... a movie that changed history in several ways ... ie not just the bunk in the movie, but he political geography of the UK!

But, movies do write history much more than we and our sources do ... there are a generation of men who learned their history from MGM as now my older students know it via Mel-movies.

Face it ... Pop culture wins ... most people between 35 and 65 believe ther red baron shot down beagles on dog houses! Alas, no more, the current generation not only doesn't know Charlie/Snoopy .... but have myths and images I don't know and if I did, couldn't fathom.

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yellow

I was thinking about the special effects myself. My guess is it will be done with CGI because it would be too dangerous to film with real aircraft as if they decide to recreate the air battles as they really were it would mean having to send up swarms of aircraft in a very small area.

If I am correct I believe the Barons relatives are still alive and I assume they will have at least some control over the film.

Steve.

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Adrian Roberts

I was thinking about the special effects myself. My guess is it will be done with CGI because it would be too dangerous to film with real aircraft as if they decide to recreate the air battles as they really were it would mean having to send up swarms of aircraft in a very small area.

Yes, I guess there will have to be some CGI. For the close-ups I'd like to see some replicas. There are several Fokker Dr1 replicas flying - but of course MVR spent by far the greatest part of his career flying Albatrosses and I'm not sure if there are any replicas of those.

If I am correct I believe the Barons relatives are still alive and I assume they will have at least some control over the film.

A young man named Maximilian von Richthofen was interviewed on the recent C4 documentary, speaking about his ancestor. But as for the family having control, they wouldn't automatically have control. If, as it appears, the film is largely a German effort, then one hopes their views would be respected - but if it was primarily Hollywood then even that would be unlikely.

Having said all that, I will be positive and look forward to the film so long as the reviews don't suggest its a politically correct hatchet job.

Adrain

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Paul Hederer

Thought I'd bump this to the top. The movie release date is 14 February here in Germany. I would imagine it'll be making its way to the US and UK soon after. Hope to see it when it opens here locally (starts in Berlin) and I'll post a review.

Paul

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Cnock

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Gibbo

Here's a link to the IMDB entry on the film. Joseph Fiennes plays Roy Brown. The film makers aren't going to go to the expense of hiring him & then have Richtofen shot down by an unknown extra on the ground. There is one other Briton in the film, Lena Headey as Kate, so there will presumably be a romantic element.

On the IMDB discussion board, I found the following quote from the director:

And Director Nikolai Müllerschön has said (from the Wikipedia entry for film):

"A meticulous reconstruction of the Baron's life and the historical setting was not uppermost in mind, that didn't interest me so much. It is more important to see what is relevant for people today. I saw no sense in making the film like a well-researched documentary. However, during my preparation on the film and looking into the story of his life, the man seems to be more like how I thought he should be."

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Cnock

Lieut-General

Old Sweats

5,179 posts

Gender:Male

Location:Belgian Coast

Interests:Ypres Salient
Air war over Flanders
Belgian Coast
Bunkers WWI-WWII